The Cabinet Begins

Four more days before The Cabinet takes a step into completely unfamiliar territory.

One month ago we were approached by Redmoons Production Manager and Associate Artistic Director outside of Redmoon Central. We were happily eating bananas and drinking Kombucha. (This is our daily ritual). They looked at us very strangely, I thought we had all done something wrong. Slowly, they began to reveal that The Cabinet had an offer to go to Brazil to take part in the FILO Festival. We jumped out of our skins!

The chance to share this particular show with the world is an amazing challenge that our cast and crew are very excited to take on. We have been rehearsing without objects, seeing as they are already in South America, packing and learning Portugese.

We would like to invite you now to watch Facebook, check out this blogspot and keep your ear to the ground on YouTube to follow us on our journey. We will be performing in Rio de Janiero, Bello Horizante, Londrina and Sao Paolo. We will talk to the audience, experience the landscape, grow as a cast together and take Redmoon to a community it has never been. This is a meaningful and breathtaking opportunity for us, stick with us while we bring Brazil back to you!

This past Saturday, January 23, the following individuals were singing the following songs:

Vanessa: Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin

Sam: Tell All The People by The Doors

Sarah: Say My Name by Destiny’s Child

Matt: How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths

Not included  during this one specific day is Missi singing any variety of Fiona Apple songs. She is admirably well versed in all three albums, and the most recent song she graced us with was Paper Bag from ‘When The Pawn …’, an altogether underrated composition.

Most recently, Sarah opened rehearsal today by singing The Sign by Ace of Base, which inspired all of us, including Vanessa, to sing our favorite Ace of Base song simultaneously as we preset for our first run of the show. Selections included All That She Wants, Don’t Turn Around and The Sign.

And on the subject of Fiona Apple, Missi briefly graced us with a few measures from Shadowboxer today when Mike, our fabulous new understudy, brought the word up prior to notes.

There’s nothing quite like belting out hits from the late nineties whilst presetting and striking small black and white objects in a dark, dry enclosed space.

Matt Rudy, cast member

The set designer, Maggie, stopped by rehearsal yesterday. Her presence clarified something beautiful about “The Cabinet” that I’d seen vaguely since the beginning, but only yesterday took the time to thoroughly consider. That is the role, in this piece, of the cabinet itself. The set’s human quality comes from the way it seems to invite, or even demand, engagement from the living actors. When I first came to Redmoon, I’d hear directors Vanessa and Frank say that a puppet or a door “wants” a certain action from the actors. I thought it was either grammatical error or mental delusion. Having watched each performer develop his or her particular hour-long track, however, I realized that these puppets, this set, does indeed “want” certain behaviors and reject others. 

There’s nothing mystical about this. It’s a grueling process, a constant series of revisions, a perpetual realignment of knuckles and bones. Still, it is convincing. Having been out-of-town for a couple days, I returned yesterday to a full run. The piece had acquired a veneer of inevitability. Every move the actors made seemed to be dictated by the architecture of their unusual set. “Of course Dustin would collapse his torso over his right knee to reach that puppet; and of course Sam would suspend himself over this bar and not the other.” But these are the deceptions of professionalism. There is, in fact, nothing inevitable about these things. For any given visible action—say, “the Helen puppet descends, spinning clockwise”—there are innumerable possibilities for its actual execution. It takes a skilled team of directors, designers, and performers to carve out a solution that’ll be efficient, engaging, and coherent with the larger aesthetic. I’m so happy to be learning from them all.

The best sets I’ve worked with or seen were not slavish reproductions of nature, but accessible gymnasiums on which the actors can mount, climb, slide, or jump. The most famous example is probably Liubov Popova’s constructivist set for Meyerhold’s production of “The Magnanimous Cuckold” (model pictured). It’s so constricting for an actor to have to enter a drawing room through a something so banal as a door—why not take a slide? or spin around a windmill? This kind of entrance creates an actual state, rather than a superficial one. That was the genius of Meyerhold and his designers: to capture the truth beneath, to physicalize what was formerly merely “internal dialogue,” and to ask the audience to engage with that physical presence. “The Cabinet” set provides a similar, if more intimate, physical challenge. The thing is a labyrinth, both thrilling and terrifying, as we’ve come to learn. And while the performance might appear splendidly dictated by the set, I think the real achievement of the “Cabinet” design is that it offers endless and intricate challenges that evoke interesting responses from the performers.

All this emphasizes the irony that although Redmoon’s production is prompted by the expressionist film by Robert Weine, ours an exclusively theatrical “Cabinet,” one that would not be available in a cinematic medium. Film asks for voyeurs; theater asks for participants. The audience is an essential component of this “Cabinet”—it is you who are asked to open each door, to engage with the scenes just as our actors engage with the space and the puppets. Theater always takes place in time. You cannot hold a live show like you can hold a DVD, with everything contained inside. It must be unfolded between a cast/crew and an audience.

Jim Manganello, Assistant Director

1/28/2010

We are beginning our fourth week of rehearsals for The Cabinet. Since the first rehearsal, and after hearing what Frank had to say about the ways in which the process affected the original cast five years ago, I have sought to cultivate an acute awareness of my emotional journey. I was told during the first hour of the first rehearsal, “Matt, you have a very accessible innocence about you when interacting with objects. That being said, this production will demand of you a much darker and directed focus toward the objects you come in contact with.

Following that short conversation in the first rehearsal, I assumed that I would spend much of my time concertedly connecting with the side of me that seeks to antagonize, to goad, to hurt, to upset people. I assumed that I would continually exercise my curiously destructive side to the point where I might run the risk of leaping into an innocent passerby’s personal space and agitating their peaceful sphere of understanding. Contrary to my initial assumption, I haven’t felt the need to immerse myself in grotesque and aggressive pieces of art in order to tap into that dark and directed focus. I do, however, find myself continually drawn to the pieces of art very dear to me that have always haunted in me in some way; not those pieces that incite an immediate terror in me, but those films, books, musical compositions that linger in my conscious and subconscious, that follow me everywhere, not matter how bright or how dark my days turn. I’m torn as to whether or not to reveal what those pieces are. I’ve decided. I won’t tell. Simply of late, I tend to feel lost or lonely if I sense I am not being followed, be it by the low drone of a narrator’s seven word phrase, by a lasting image from a film or by a string of twelve notes in a violin concerto. To cite a more specific example, the ongoing soft whoosh of warm air pushing through the heating vents in my living space has becoming a surprisingly comfortable companion. A major element that fascinates me about a well manipulated somnambulist is the pure and peaceful ignorance of his future victims. The steady and unperturbed attention to their lives in the face of imminent abuse and massacre I admit I find unabashed curiosity in. So while I may crave the feeling of being stalked I seek out familiar material with which to be followed. Were I to stalk others, though, I would not desire any potential victims to know that I was within a few feet, below their window, in a dark corner unseen. I would probably never strike, but would linger just feet from them, barely within the shadows, watching them bask in their perceived privacy.

I’d like to stray from my comfort zone with what I allow to haunt me; to seek out situations that unsettle me, especially those situations that have an insidiously hostile effect.

Matt Rudy, cast member

I know it’s corny, but I had to find the right phrase to describe how being in this cabinet feels. It truly is a rush of blood to the head. But when you get that rushing feeling, you are forced to reckon with so much more in your body that you take for granted when you are on the ground. Like remembering to breathe, arching your back, balancing, stretching, contracting and elongating muscles you didn’t even know you had. It is excruciating, but the reward of knowing that an audience of people will be amazed at what goes on inside the cabinet makes it worth it.

I should also use this post to talk about the team. There are many teams that work well together, but I don’t think I have ever been a part of a group such as this. Every single being fits together to create this SUPERBEING. It’s like the Cabinet is a piece of machinery; every cog, wheel, pin, and spring has to do its part individually but seems to know at the exact same time what all the other parts are doing , so that the machine works like a ticking clock.

That was what awaited me when I worked with the Cabinet team today. Vanessa, the living breathing soul of the Cabinet, was explaining to me and walking me through the first couple of scenes. But even Vanessa could not get out a few phrases without the other performers instantly chiming in with advice, tips, and details on how to accomplish the scene. I was floored. They think that they don’t know other people’s parts, but I got the impression that everyone, at any given time, knew EXACTLY what was happening in every part of the cabinet. That says something about a team of performers. These people are selfless; they have given themselves up to the piece, and it gives the piece this life that is breathtaking to watch.

I must end here. My body is feeling sleepy and blissfully achy. I cannot wait to see what the next day brings.

Sarah Ely, cast member

Because a small twist suggested a previous injury, one of our cast members, Taylor Bibat, has had to step away from performing in our physically challenging show. She will be missed inside The Cabinet. Her role in the making of the show is undoubtably formative and continues to be inspiring. Sarah Ely has leaped wildly into her role and we have spent the past few days training her into the complex show. Her positive attitude, hard work, talent and gusto has brought sunlight into the past few days. Thanks Sarah! And thank you Taylor for being strong and continuing to find ways to help us make the best show we can! Its almost as nice to have you watching from the outside as playing on the inside.

So here we are in our third week. We have the whole show blocked. We are getting to know our transitions. We are getting to know better ways of handling the puppets; we are finding the best angle on a moment. I find it interesting that “the best angle” has absolutely nothing to do with the “easiest” way to reach an object in the moment. “The best angle” speaks to the way you position yourself, be it balancing on one leg and leaning out 3 feet, hooking your foot around a bar and stretching out of the Cabinet, or reaching through the arms of four people to hold one hand, in order to thrust your soul into the object.

We play a few different roles within the show. Sometimes I am myself as an asylum scientist. Sometimes I am myself through the eyes of Cesare, the somnambulist. He takes me with him on his journey and I can read his mind. Sometimes I am possessed by Dr. Caligari. Those are the scariest times. Entering the mind of a serial killer while still living in the trapped mind of the possessed is an incredibly dark, suffocating place. This is where I have been living for the past few weeks.

Thank goodness I am stuck in this Cabinet with this group of people. Vanessa Stalling, our director, has been here. She is not merely directing from an outside aesthetic. I know this when I am losing my breath during the darkest moments of the play, being forced to deal with my own demons, and I look to her and find comfort in her omnipotent eyes. She has been here before. Somehow she is still here, stuck inside of this Cabinet with us. Only now she is stretching, reaching to find the best angle from which to thrust this story through us. She is doing a wonderful job.

“Suffocated by the weight of a deadening grief,

What life there was in me had wasted down;

Faint and wavering as a shadow of torn gossamer.”

- The Cabinet

Missi Davis, cast member

1/19/10

Dear Team,

Watching Vanessa Stalling direct the remount of The Cabinet is quite wonderful to me.
I could not ask for a better agent- she was key to the creation of the original show, her sense of object and dance is impeccable, and her ability to direct, lead, and coach outstanding. 

After rehearsal today, I returned to my first directors notes… which I had not read in over 5 years- and I thought I would share- maybe they could inspire this young, bright, remarkable team of performers, maybe they would intrigue some new viewers, maybe they would inspire some… they inspired me. 

I want the group to read, and I want to share my faith and gratitude for Vanessa and this new group of dedicated, brave art makers- The Cabinet is not easy to make… it takes a lean focus, a careful attention, tremendous force, and a passion to simultaneously haunt and inspire.
It demands one who is very much awake.
and I see her, Vanessa, alerting the puppeteer in these skilled actors- helping them find, feel, and tell the story…
I think a puppeteer is not made, but born, but must be shaken awake to their talent- a puppeteer is someone who can focus, deeply, beyond themselves, without ego, without need… they must work incredibly hard, tirelessly… always remain positive and always say yes- the great gift of the true puppeteer- the investigator, the explorer, always looking, searching for a better way, a new way, a more difficult way… a intense discipline is required to discover a puppet show… to find the perfect dance carefully interrupted by objects… and that work will ache, it will hurt, it will be uncomfortable… it demands big pushes… and the real puppeteer will push hard… in the dark, 15 feet above ground, in the crack… and love it… like the long distance runner, only satisfied by the greatest of pain… they know the finish line is a point of glory.
This team, they see that- Vanessa holds the lantern for their march, and they boldly go. They inspire me. They are making good work. With integrity and substance. They are going the distance. No rest for the wicked. No rest.

Frank Maugeri 2005 Directors Notes:

The Cabinet ties together several long standing interests and passions for me. 
First, this production is a result of my excitement for creating a particular type of puppet show. I enjoy working in a miniature theatrical medium: using found objects—old dolls and toys; creating brute mechanical and transforming elements; exploring random dream images; developing narrative through picture, symbol, gesture and style; experimenting with an omnipotent and strange puppeteer character; and collecting all these elements in a small, condensed, claustrophobic space that allows attention to image detail and physical gesture. 

Secondly, the horror film—an obsession of mine since I was young. From the classic monster films of Dracula, Frankenstein, and King Kong, to the eerie likes of M, The Night of the Hunter, and The Wicker Man… I would settle down in front of the television and watch these films hours on end, hunched over in pleasure, fantasy and fear. 

Finally, I was drawn to this project by an interest in the exploration and investigation of madness, always a subject of intrigue for me. I spent several years working with mentally ill adults, compelled by their complex and sophisticated delusions and fears, and inspired by their pursuit of a manageable life and a discernable, predictable reality. 
Why use this particular film as a source? Because the original film, to me, already feels like a puppet show. The characters are like wicked painted marionettes. The sets are theatrical and intimate like a tiny toy theater, and the mood is spooky, dark and dreamlike. If you squint, the whole film looks like a harsh, maniac Punch and Judy show. 
I’ve always made shows for other people. I’ve always dedicated my work, from the very conception of a piece, to my mother or father or a family member or friend. This one was made for myself— the six year old boy who would sit in front of the TV, hour after hour, watching horror films and paging through comic books, literally having the time of my life— being chilled, being humored, and being inspired. I really hope that I’ve fully embraced the work enough, joyfully and respectfully, that people will be as entertained as I was as that child. 
Special thanks to the primary collaborators on this piece—the designers, puppeteeers, and scriptwriter for the tireless hours spent discussing and workshoping this piece. They are all the creators and directors and have influenced this work….

And from some old scraps of original inspirations- worth looking and posting- all cool:

FAULTY OPTIC
http://www.faultyoptic.co. uk/newindexframe.htm

FORKBEARD FANTASY
http://www.forkbeardfantasy.co.uk/

SVENKMAJER
http://www.awn.com/heaven_and_hell/svank/svank1.htm

HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY
http://handspringpuppet.co.za/

TERRY GILLIAM
http://www.digitalmediafx.com/Features/terry-gilliam.html

TOY THEATRE
http://www.pollocksweb.co.uk/

BROTHERS QUAY
http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.3/articles/buchan1.3.html
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/current/quays/quays.html

CABERET MECHANICAL THEATER
http://www.cabaret.co.uk/

DAVE MCKEAN
http://art.co.uk/

ANTIQUE DOLLS
http://www.antique-toys.dk/menu_uk.html

PEEPSHOWS
http://www.sci.fi/%7Eanimato/filmhist/filmhist.html

GEORGE MELIES
http://www.nwlink.com/%7Eerick/silentera/Melies/melies.html

EISENSTEIN
http://www.carleton.edu/curricular/MEDA/classes/media110/Severson/eisenste.htm

FRITZ LANG
http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/lang/

RANKIN BASS
http://www.rankinbass.com/

CALIGARI
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/9078/cindex.htm

There just is. I’ve been a part of many object based shows and I understand what it is to make an object breathe and come to life. It takes a certain type of listening and connection to really hear what the object is telling you. You find that some objects speak louder than others, some speak to you and some to your teammates. You have to let the object tell it’s own story. 

When I heard about this remount, I wanted desperately to be considered. But I made a conscious decision not to push and let my interest be known. I knew the story, I had heard all of the hype, but I felt that if I was right for the project they would ask. When I got the email from Vanessa, I was jumping out of my shoes and quickly said yes. This is the remount we have all been waiting for. 

I have been lucky enough to have been working with Redmoon basically non-stop since understudying The Princess Club. I know how special each artist that comes through these doors is. I have seen many amazing shows here. The Cabinet is different. There is something about The Cabinet. When we arrived at rehearsal for the first day of a four week, rigorous, 30 hours a week process we set a precedent for ourselves. We made a vow to work as hard or harder than humanly possible. This was the only way that we will be able to tap into a bit of the magic that the original cast had created. The life in this show is palpable. I can grab it with my two hands and whip it against the wall. 

Rehearsals consist of talking through the scenes, watching the video and doing it over and over and over until we feel that we must move on. I stand back and look around the room, and I am overcome by something inside of me that I just cannot explain. I have felt this feeling for a week now. I suppose I can describe it as a kind of anticipation, and anxiety, or some sort of adrenaline that is grasping me. Its as though the objects are all holding me and pushing me at the same time. This feeling is what drives me during rehearsals. I am a beast that is controlled by my master, and the story holds my leash. We work a moment again and again, and just when we should move forward, I feel a tug and demand for one more time. When I am not at rehearsal, I long to be there. I am thinking about how to better straddle the 6 foot ladder so that I have the right angle and more freedom to manipulate Cesar’s head. I am doing push-ups and crunches and squats and yoga so that my body can replicate the hulk inside of me that tells me to work harder. 

This feeling, this motivation, resides in us all. Mainly it goes unspoken. But I see it everywhere. I see it when I look above me and Taylor is hanging upside-down by her heels manipulating two head-rods. I see it when Matt and Dustin move the 60lb backdrops for the twentieth time just to be sure they can do it fast and quietly. I see it when Sam is running up and down ladders and hanging out over the Cabinet to get Cesar out far enough. I see it when I take the puppets (a name which does not do these works of art justice) and I look at their construction. I see their detail. I feel their desire to share their story with us. It is a story that has been trapped inside of them for the past five years, and a century before that. I realize that I am their puppet. They make me manipulate them. They use me to share their nightmare. Their head rod is my arm rod, and it is they who force me to move as they desire. 

The Cabinet is their doorway into our world. We have no choice but to answer their incessant knocking. 

“I was the knife, 
He the hand that held me, 
That guided me. 
That possessed me.” 
-The Cabinet 


Missi Davis 
1/9/10

Read some select press from the 2005 original production: 

“2005’s Top 5 Stage Productions” 
“2005’s Top 5 Plays” New City 

“The Cabinet is a magnificent piece of theater, period. …a masterpiece of puppet theater…A spellbinding dreamscape…by its end you wish you could rewind the whole mesmerizing experience and play it again…” Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times 

“A wonderful sight to behold.” Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune 

“… a wholly absorbing puppet show of the most intricate precision – by far one of the strongest productions in the city…” Nina Metz, New City 

“…amazing… mesmerizing…overwhelming artistry…” Novid Parsi, Time Out Chicago 

“…a one-of-a-kind classic…Redmoon’s crowning achievement…four stars.” Dan Zeff, Copley News Service 

“I can’t wait to see it again, and again…” Frank Maugeri, RedmoonThe wild, off-kilter world of The Cabinet at Redmoon Central: preview Feb 4, opens Feb 5 thru Mar 7. Tickets on sale now! http://www.redmoon.org